TV Broadcasters Amp Up The 'Second Screen' Experience

Broadcasters and other companies spent a lot of time and money this year bringing television to a second screen.

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Originally published on December 28, 2012 12:12 pm

Once upon a time, there was one screen that TV broadcasters needed to fill. These days, it's all about the two-screen experience.

People have been watching television with their laptops, smartphones and tablets in hand for a while now. But this year, big business tried harder than ever to bring television to a second screen.

"This year, I think we've seen a maturity in the social television space, which is still very nascent," says Mark Ghuneim of Trendrr TV, which keeps track of social media around television. "Just looking at this year versus last year, there's been an 800 percent growth in the commentary around TV, real time."

In other words, social media chitchat about TV shows was nine times louder this year than in 2011.

According to Nielsen, roughly 40 percent of people who own tablets and smartphones watch TV with them every day. Roxane Gay is one of them.

"I find television and pop culture in general to be kind of absurd," she says. "And Twitter is a really convenient medium for sharing the ridiculous thoughts that I have while watching ridiculous things."

And as more and more people join Gay in her conversation, more and more brands are pushing toward the second screen. Take a show like Survivor.

"They have a hashtag for something like #ImmunityChallenge, so that you can see other people talking about it," says Gay. "And so television shows, I think, are realizing that people are starting to consume television differently."

Every tweet with #ImmunityChallenge will fall into one, searchable feed. So when CBS places a hashtag on Screen No. 1, they're essentially creating a chat room on Screen No. 2.

And online chatter is just one of the things that second screens are used for. Ghuneim says people also want to learn about what they're watching.

"Picture, you know, a fantasy football league while you're watching your game," he says, "or data around sports as it's happening."

There are also reward-based apps, where viewers get social cred for checking into shows, Ghuneim adds, "like GetGlue, where you get stickers for checking in; and Viggle, where you earn points that can add up to value cards and things like that."

Add to that, gaming experiences, shopping experiences and direct interaction with the show itself. This past year, a technology called automatic content recognition, or ACR, synced up screens like never before. The Next Iron Chef IntoNow app, introduced last month by the Food Network and Yahoo, automatically links TV and tablet.

Susie Fogelson, a senior vice president of marketing for the Food Network, says it's "the best of the best of the second-screen experience."

So how does it work? Let's say chef Alex Guarnaschelli is in a cook-off.

"Say she makes a frittata and she doesn't know whether that was the right use of egg or not," Fogelson explains. "And then literally right after that kind of final decision, you will see a video that is really exclusive to the app that talks about whether that was a good decision or not."

For businesses, there are a ton of upsides. Ghuneim says that once brands have grabbed someone's attention with the television, they can use the second screen to keep them locked in.

"You could have a 30-second commercial that is triggering a seven-minute experience with a brand," he says — as when a company uses a commercial to direct users to their website, or to Facebook and Twitter.

"If that call to action or handoff is meaningful," says Ghuneim, "the user will explore it."

And once the TV watcher starts watching their phone instead, who's to say they're looking at the other screen?

"The dominant screen might be for you talking to your friends around the show," says Ghuneim, "versus the other way around."

Copyright 2013 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

One of the biggest topics of the year on Twitter, has been television. People have been watching TV with their laptops and phones in hand for a while now. It's called the two-screen experience. TV is the first screen and the social media of your choice is on your second screen. 2012 was the year businesses spent a lot of time and money trying to capitalize on the relationship between the two screens, as NPR's Sami Yenigun reports.

SAMI YENIGUN, BYLINE: Once upon a time, there was one screen that TV broadcasters needed to fill.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BEWITCHED")

DICK YORK: (as Darrin Stephens) That's all? These were the good old days.

YENIGUN: These days, things just ain't the same.

(SOUNDBITE OF DIFFERENT TV SHOWS)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Now, if you have a question for Antonio, all you have to do is check out our Facebook page NFL on ESPN.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Using our friends to analyze thousands and thousands of tweets in the twitterverse.

YENIGUN: It's the age of the second screen. In 2012, big business tried harder than ever to bring television to tablets and phones.

MARK GHUNEIM: This year I think we've seen a maturity in the social television space which is still very nascent.

YENIGUN: That's Mark Ghuneim from TrendrrTV. They keep track of social media around television.

GHUNEIM: You know, just looking at this year versus last year there's been, you know, an 800 percent growth in the commentary around TV real time.

YENIGUN: Did you catch that? The TV show chit chat on social media was eight times louder this year than in 2011. According to Nielsen, roughly 40 percent of people who own Tablets and Smartphones watch TV with them every day. People like Roxanne Gay.

ROXANNE GAY: I find television and pop culture in general to be kind of absurd, and Twitter is a really convenient medium for sharing the ridiculous thoughts that I have while watching ridiculous things.

YENIGUN: And as more and more people join Gay in her conversation, more and more brands are pushing towards the second screen. Take a show like "Survivor."On the side of the screen there's a pound sign, and a word.

GAY: They have a hashtag for something like immunity challenge.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SURVIVOR")

JEFF PROBST, HOST:

Once again immunity is back up for grabs.

GAY: So that you can see other people talking about it. And so television shows, I think, are realizing that people are starting to consume television differently.

YENIGUN: Every tweet with that pound sign immunity challenge will into fall into one searchable feed. So when CBS places a hashtag on screen number one, they're essentially creating a chat room on screen number two. And online chatter is just one of the things that second screens are used for. Trendrr's Mark Ghuneim says people also want to learn about what they're watching.

GHUNEIM: Picture a fantasy football league while watching your game or data about sports as its happening.

YENIGUN: There's also reward based apps, where viewers get social cred for checking into shows.

GHUNEIM: Like GetGlue, where you get stickers for checking in and Viggle where you earn points that can add up to value cards and things like that.

YENIGUN: Add to that gaming experiences, shopping experiences, and direct interaction with the show itself. This past year a technology called automatic content recognition, or ACR, synced up screens like never before.

YENIGUN: And starting in November the Food Network and Yahoo introduced The Next "Iron Chef" IntoNow app. It automatically links TV and Tablet.

SUSIE FOGELSON: It is, you know, I guess the best of the best of the second-screen experience.

YENIGUN: That's Susie Fogelson, senior vice president of Marketing for the Food Network. She explains how this works. Let's say Chef Alex Garnishelli is in a cook off.

FOGELSON: Say she makes a frittata and she doesn't know if that was the right use of egg or not. And then literally after that final decision you will see a video that is really exclusive to the app that talks about whether that was a good decision or not.

YENIGUN: For businesses, there are a ton of upsides. Trendrr's Mark Ghuneim says once brands have grabbed someone's attention with the TV, they can use the second screen to keep them locked in.

GHUNEIM: You can have a 30 second commercial that is triggering a seven minute experience with a brand.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #2: Find us on the Web at mediamanagementpros.com. Or talk to us on Facebook and Twitter.

GHUNEIM: If that call to action or handoff is meaningful the user will explore it.

YENIGUN: And once the TV watcher starts watching their phone instead, who's to say that they're looking at screen number two?

GHUNEIM: The dominant screen might be for you talking to your friends around the show, right? Versus the other way around.